Mission San Xavier del Bac; Tubac Presidio State Historic Park

It was time for a long trip so we selected the Santa Cruz Valley. Our first stop was Mission San Xavier del Bac, a National Historic Landmark. It was founded in 1692 by Fr. Eusebio Francisco Kino, the Jesuit pioneer and explorer. Today's Franciscan Church was built between 1783 and 1797. It is widely considered to be America's finest surviving example of Spanish Colonial architecture.

Popularly known as The White Dove of the Desert the Franciscan Mission was built on O'odham lands at the village of Wa:k. Fr. Eusebio Kino had ventured north to this village with the hope of converting its inhabitants. The history of the original settlement at Wa:k is still being researched by archaeologists

Unfortunately we couldn't see the main altar because of the restoration works. There are statues dating dating back to the 1750s and vivid baroque altars. It is like walking back to the 18th century

I thought the pews were very original and, with the design on the walls, made an instant impact.

 In 1978 Patronata San Xavier was formed for the sole purpose of restoring and preserving the church. A lot remains to be done to finish the project.

The garden outside the Mission is very nice.

We came across this saint, known as Lily of the Mohawks,  at the Cathedral in Santa Fe.

And they have their own "Book of Kells"!

Grotto Hill.

We went over to the Plaza in search of coffeee but all was closed. I thought this structure about young people from the Tohono O'Odham nation was interesting.

On the road again we headed for Tubac. In 1752 Tubac was established as a Spanish Presidio (fort). It is now the site of the Tubac Presidio State Historic Park which we visited after getting coffee and after a brief tour of the town.

Tubac is now an artist colony and is full of galleries and shops with hand-crafted items (at enormous prices - but they are works of art).

I was emotionally unequipped to haggle after I saw the prices of the handbags and wallets - being rendered speechless!











          And the highlight of the day?  Our first sighting of a real live snake in the wild!

When Jim first sighted this snake it was a snake in the grass! But then it slithered across the path in front of us. It stopped briefly and raised its head from side to side as I stopped breathing ... and then continued on its way to become, once again, a snake in the grass! Jim said it was a sidewinder - doesn't he talk a lot of bs! How the hell would he know after only one trip to the Snake Museum in Albuquerque and a trip to the reptiles in the Sonora Desert Museum?

We've been to loads of schoolhouses like this (aside from the ones in our childhood!) but, for some reason, this one was particularly interesting and great fun.

                     
                                                  Teachers had a lot of non-teaching duties!

            Look at number 6 - Getting married was unseemly! And number 7 explains Jim's beard!

What a diligent student! Though I suspect from how she fits in the desk that she has been recycled many times and is making a real effort to get promotion into the upper classes!

These crimes require punishment of numbers of lashes. I would like to add some lashes for the teacher who cannot spell properly!

Swaring and Waring!

Whoever wrote these rules really got carried away! It was a negative system based on punishment - much like what we have today!!

Pot-bellied stove taken by the pot-bellied photographer in the company of his pot-bellied wife. I have to say the pot-bellied stove is in much better proportion!

                                                           Santa Rita Mountains I think.

The ceiling of the outside kitchen. In the museum there was a sign saying If you can't stand the heat take the kitchen outside!

Jim has found a relative! He has always wondered where his second name, Wingfield, has come from. He didn't realise when he was coming here that he would be researching his roots!

The first newspaper press in Arizona.

We found Wisdom's Restaurant near Tumacacori and had a lovely light lunch - tortilla soup for me and chimichanga for Jim. Then we stopped at Tumacacori to see the ruins of the mission church San Jose de Tumacacori which is in the grounds of the National Historical Park. The woman at reception let us in to take a photo as we had had enough of historical parks.

Jim is so used to me now that he doesn't even see me! I would have preferred not to see me too!!

Adobe structure near the church. Didn't wait to find out what it was. We took the scenic route via Patagonia and Sonoita home and it was nice but a 2 hour journey had us tired. We got home to lightning and thunder and finally, now, quite a bit of rain.